In the past, various devices have been developed for mounting electronic components to substrates. For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,018,936 and 5,033,783 disclose one type of mounting apparatus equipped with a mounting head, which is provided with a suction nozzle assembly at one end thereof, and a recognition camera, which is mounted above the mounting head opposite the suction nozzle assembly. The suction nozzle assembly is adapted to pick up electronic parts and is made from a light transmitting material such that the picked-up parts can be viewed by the camera through the suction nozzle assembly for determining their shape and position. In this manner, the mounting apparatus eliminates the need to provide a camera adapted to be positioned below the suction nozzle assembly for viewing the images of the picked-up parts.
While the mounting apparatus described above facilitates an electronic part mounting process, it has various shortcomings and disadvantages. For instance, it is believed that the mounting apparatus is not adapted for precise placement of microscopic objects, such as semiconductor components, on other objects (e.g., such as substrates). Moreover, because the camera is not incorporated into the mounting head, the camera needs to be mounted to the mounting apparatus separately from the mounting head, thereby requiring an additional effort to mount the camera to the mounting apparatus and then to align the camera with the mounting head. In addition, because the camera and the mounting head are independent and discrete from one another, an additional mechanism (e.g., a mounting bracket) needs to be provided for moving the camera conjointly with the mounting head. Further, because the suction nozzle assembly is mounted to the mounting head via a retainer member, detachment of the suction nozzle assembly from the mounting head involves an additional step (i.e., removal of the retainer member from the suction nozzle assembly).